Looking Up: Change the clock, see more stars

Full Moon is March 12. At 2 a.m. that same morning is when most of North America switches to Daylight Saving Time — “spring ahead” — meaning we gain an hour of stargazing.

You thought I’d say “lose and hour of sleep,” didn’t you?

If we are used to sleeping from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. (not me, but that’s another story), your bedtime suddenly became 11 p.m. because you (should have) advanced the clock an hour. What was 6 a.m. became 7 a.m. If that is too late for you to get up (not for me but who asked), and you must arise at 6, remember, that’s the old 5 a.m. (under Standard Time).

In other words, if your clock has to say “6 a.m.” (whether it is Daylight Saving Time or not) when you get up, you will be getting up when many of the morning stars are still out. That’s a real advantage from a star watcher’s perspective.

Of course that won’t last long as spring arrives and nights keep getting shorter (as days get longer).

Then you will be rising to see not a sky full of stars, but just one star, the Sun. That’s a wonderful star, by the way, which gives us the warmth and light we need by day. The other stars are beautiful but don’t help with utility bills.

If you do get to view the sky before dawn, you will have a preview of the summer ahead. In the wee hours as morning twilight advances, you will the same constellations you will see in mid-evening this July. This weekend, be sure to look for the Moon, setting in the west.

The brilliant planet Jupiter, which currently rises eastward around 9 p.m., will be shining in the southwest around 5 or 6 a.m. The bright white star Spica is to the lower left of Jupiter, at this time.

Early risers will get to see the bright planet Saturn, well up in the south-southeast before and during dawn. Look to Saturn’s right for the bright reddish star Antares.

Back to the early evening, take a good look at the wonderfully bright planet Venus, shining in the west during twilight. Venus sets increasingly sooner each night, as it moves towards “inferior conjunction” on March 25, when Venus is approximately between the Earth and the Sun. Until then, the sight of Venus in a small telescope is outstanding, as it displays a large crescent shape, getting thinner each evening you look.

Venus is so bright it is possible to catch it even before the Sun sets, if you know just where to look.

Mars, a lot dimmer and redder, is to the upper left of Venus.

Did anyone get to see the Moon pass in front of the bright star Aldebaran the night of March 4? It was really cold out where I live, but I did catch it. It was quite interesting to see the star vanish behind the encroaching Moon. Let me know what you saw.

Keep looking up!

— Peter Becker is Managing Editor at The News Eagle in Hawley, Pa. Notes are welcome at news@neagle.com. Please mention in what newspaper or website you read this column.